Wireless technology moves beyond the jet set

The Nokia 9000 is a wireless phone that can send and get faxes and e-mail, and access the Internet

February 27, 1998
Web posted at: 12:50 p.m. EST (1750 GMT)

From Correspondent Marsha Walton

ATLANTA (CNN) -- The world of wireless communications, once
restricted to car phones for roadside emergencies and pagers
and laptop computers for the executive set, is quickly
adapting new technologies to suit the needs of everyone from
business colleagues to children waiting for their school bus.

As shown at an industry exposition in Atlanta, convenience is
paramount, and one of the biggest changes has been to combine
communications gadgets to provide that ease of use.

'Serengeti' quenches thirst for communications

General Magic's "Serengeti," due on the market later this
year, is another multi-use tool -- a voice-controlled virtual
personal assistant that lets users access their computers
from any phone.

It can read voice- or e-mails, look up a phone number or
address and check an appointment on a (computerized)
calendar.

Serengeti also can screen calls. That gives you the option of
receiving messages from your boss or your spouse immediately,
while putting other messages on hold until you want them.

A new technique called "cellemetry" tracks school buses and lets parents and children know if a bus is on time

Keeping an eye on your kids' affairs

Not everything at the exhibition was geared to business. One
item is designed to help keep your children safe.

Millions of kids stand outside in all types of weather
waiting for the school bus, never knowing whether it will be
early, on time or late. Cellular telemetry, or "cellemetry,"
developed by BellSouth, can track buses to the second, making
students' waits a thing of the past.

As Carol Kennemore of BellSouth Cellemetry Data Service
explained, a stripped-down cellular phone is the crux in
communications between the cellemetry device and students'
homes.

Global Research Systems representative Gena Payne says the device calls students' homes every morning to tell them when
the bus is nearby. 102K/8 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

The system is being tested in often-frigid Bemidji,
Minnesota, where school officials say, overall, it is working
well.

An eye-recognition system using infrared-light beams lets your eyes control the cursor on a computer screen

The eyes move it

Wireless technology can also mean "hands-free."

The eye-recognition system Erica, developed by Tom Hutchinson
at the University of Virginia, is one example. It uses an
infrared-light beam to track eye movement; the eyes then
control the cursor on a computer screen.

Erica is attached to Windows 95, making many new tasks
accessible to the disabled. It can also recall frequently
used words to reduce the amount of typing.